Staff tends to final details for 2014 Saratoga Race Course meet

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> For Robert Smith, like every other Saratoga Race Course worker, the countdown to Opening Day is a race against time.

New York Racing Association’s new food and beverage manager spent Wednesday getting things just right in preparation for the 2014 meet that begins Friday.

“We’re getting ready as if tomorrow (Thursday) was Opening Day,” he said. “That way we can still take care of last-minute details. It’s going very smoothly.”

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Smith busied himself straightening up tables on the newly expanded front porch dining area, where fans gather to have breakfast and watch early morning workouts or enjoy lunch a bit later in the day.

A new concrete pad has been built out beyond the roof overhang to provide space for more tables and seating. Large red umbrellas will shade people from the sun.

Smith joined NYRA in March after spending several years as general manager of Dylan Prime Steakhouse in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood.

“This is quite a different dynamic,” he said. “People go to a restaurant to get something to eat. Here, they come to enjoy the races and a good meal. It’s such a great package — great food and great racing.”

This will be his first season at Saratoga, after working this spring and early summer at Aqueduct and Belmont Park.

“It’s really exciting, just the feel of summer time,” Smith said. “It’s like being at the beach, but with horse racing.”

There’s also more room for people who like to bring their own food and picnic in the track’s back yard. NYRA has added 100 more picnic tables and another 50 are on order.

President and CEO Chris Kay on Wednesday introduced three new NYRA executives that have joined the firm since last year. They are Martin Panza, senior vice president of racing operations; Racing Secretary Frank Gabriel and Safety Steward Hugh Gallagher.

Panza graduated from the University of Arizona’s racing program and came to NYRA from Hollywood Park in California. Gabriel has worked at Arlington Park in Chicago and was most recently CEO of the Dubai Racing Club.

Gallagher will work closely with veterinarians and backstretch security to make sure all racing industry rules are followed, Kay said.

“To get to a place like this is a dream come true,” Gallagher said. “With that comes great responsibility.”

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Paul Post covers NYRA, SPAC, agriculture, Wilton and other local towns, veterans’ issues and more. Reach the author at ppost@digitalfirstmedia.com
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